Research & Insights
Organizational Rightsizing
2025 marks a defining moment in leadership hiring across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. From DIFC-based platforms to Vision 2030 giga projects, organizations are prioritizing future-ready professionals who can drive governance, transformation, and cross-border growth.
This inaugural Middle East edition consolidates verified compensation data, market insights, and hiring trends across Legal (Private Practice and In-House), Finance, Tax (Consulting and In-House), and HR functions — offering a practical guide for employers and professionals navigating the Gulf talent market.
- Verified compensation benchmarks across levels
- Function-wise hiring trends and role evolution
- Sector-specific hiring drivers in sovereign, private, and venture-backed entities
- Candidate expectations across geographies and experience levels
- Strategic recommendations for both employers and candidates
- Notable leadership moves and cross-border mobility insights
This report is based on research conducted by Vahura between April 2024 and May 2025. It draws from:
- Live executive mandates handled by our Vahura Middle East team across organisations and sectors in the region
- Compensation benchmarking conversations during shortlisting, negotiation and onboarding stages
- Internal placement data and offer outcomes for the covered period by our international research desk
- Publicly disclosed leadership moves, company announcements and regulatory filings
- Strategic interactions with CFOs, CHROs, and board members on succession planning, mandate scoping and market calibration
The data focuses on experienced professionals and excludes entry-level and/or graduate hiring. All compensation figures refer to Total Fixed Compensation (TFC) defined in the report.
All figures reflect average Total Fixed Compensation (TFC) by role and experience band, across UAE (AED) and KSA (SAR).
TFC includes:
- Base annual salary
- Housing and transport allowances (where applicable)
TFC excludes:
- Performance-based bonuses
- Retention payouts, LTIPs, or equity grants
- Medical insurance, relocation benefits, or one-time milestone payouts
These benchmarks serve as directional guides. Actual offers may vary based on company size, candidate background, and negotiation outcomes.
Contact Us
For customised compensation benchmarking or mandate-specific advisory, please reach out to our team at [email protected].
Rishabh Chopra
Rishabh Chopra is a Partner at Vahura and Director at Vahura MEA, leading CFO and HR leadership hiring in India and governance-focused executive searches across the Middle East. A lawyer and MBA with extensive record in identifying talented leaders across finance, HR and legal domains and executing complex, high-impact search mandates, he is also playing a key role in powering next‑gen talent solutions at Counselect, Vahura’s secondment services platform.
Sheila Mary Albert
Sheila is Senior Consultant at Vahura and Vahura MEA with over 15 years of experience across the Middle East and India. She focuses on mid-to-senior level hiring across finance and HR roles. Drawing from her operational background at global organizations like Equinor, BP, and Deloitte, Sheila brings sharp insight and regional expertise to every mandate. She is currently pursuing her ACCA (UK) and is also a certified mental health coach committed to community and wellness initiatives.
